Dragavond
by Niar-Muse
Summary: When Ashvind Kingmaker, a simple blacksmiths apprentice, loses everything in Helgen, he steps up to the call of adventure and finds himself to be part of an ancient legend. But he's not alone, Kyneris is just trying to find out who she is and Artemis just came for the magic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers, so recently I've been playing a lot of skyrim and watching a lot of Game of Thrones, both are pretty freaking epic and such. Anyways I got an idea one day and decided to start a fanfic for Skyrim. Lets get started then shall we? **  
**First off, I do not own Skyrim or anything from The Elderscrolls, all rights belong to Bethesda. I only own my characters. **  
**Enjoy and I'll see you at the end.**

I never thought my life would end up like this.  
I never thought that I, a lowly blacksmiths apprentice, could ever accomplish feats like this.  
That I could slay dragons and devour their souls, that I could scale the highest mountains or walk the deepest reaches. That I could gather ancient artifacts and masks with unbelievable power, nor did I think that I, Ashvind Kingmaker, could save all of Skyrim.  
I never thought I could do any of this, I thought that I would just be a simple blacksmith and be safe from all this... But then I met Kyneris... And she made my world like this.

It was late morning, early noon when she stumbled into Helgen. I was, as usual, working at the forge, just mending the straps on leather armor or fixing the dents in the guards cuirass. All around me, the townsfolk of Helgen were tending to their usual tasks of living, no one seemed to notice the girl with steel colored hair.  
I myself hadn't noticed her until the imperial troops stormed into town. I didn't mind them being here, just as long as they didn't cause havoc.  
The troops stormed into town, forming a barrier on the cobblestone road leading through town, so that they could guide a set of carriages through.  
It was unbearably hot today, even as I stepped away from the forge to watch, I could see the signs of discomfort on each of the prisoners faces as they were carted past. The steel haired girl was so close to me now, not too close though, but almost next to me in the crowd of spectators as we watched the imperial soldiers call off names.  
"Jarl Ulfric of Windhelm."  
My breath caught in my throat as I watched the Jarl stand with his troops in the face of death, they had gaged his mouth so that he couldn't speak.  
Or shout... I thought grimly, remembering the rumors I heard about Ulfric and his Thu'um.  
I didn't hear the rest of the names being called out as I noticed that the steel haired girl looked uneasy as she shifted from foot to foot. That's when I noticed the raggedness of her outfit, dirty, torn, blood stained at the hem.  
What had she gone through?  
A roar forced me out of my thoughts as I looked to the mountains in the distance, the crowd of prisoners, imperial soldiers and townsfolk murmured uneasily.  
The imperial legate called forth the next prisoner, a young Breton woman with messy redish-brown hair and a long scar, stretching from her left eye down her lips. She seemed like she was completely innocent, I wanted to speak out and say something, but then another roar tore through the air.  
This time the air shook as the deafening roar tore through the mountains, the sound of leather flapping in the breeze, and stone crashing on stone, reached my ears as screams erupted from the townsfolk.  
Everything was a chaotic blur then as fire rained down over Helgen. I could faintly remember running with the steel haired girl, the Breton and an imperial soldier before I blacked out as a burning sensation hit my arm.  
"Come on lad, stay with me." A female voice murmured as my body was covered in a warm tingling sensation.  
I groaned as I sat up, the sound of fire crashing to the ground was muffled by stone walls as my vision slowly returned, my arm throbbed as I lifted it to my eyes. The flesh was raw, minor signs of a burn still remained as I quickly realized that magic had been put to work. There was the sound of fabric shifting as I looked up from my arm.  
The Breton woman was crouched over me as the imperial soldier dug through some chests with the steel haired girl.  
"Wh-where am I?" I groaned, my tongue felt numb and foreign as the Breton woman put a red bottle to my lips, the taste of a healing potion passed through my mouth as I almost gaged at the taste.  
"We're safe in the keep.. For now." The Breton woman said as she helped me stand, leaning me against her and wrapping an arm around my waist.  
"I'm not a child!" I scoffed as the woman grinned.  
"You may not be a child, but we need to get out of here. Your in no shape to be running." She remarked as she took a step forwards.  
The imperial soldier came up to us and handed her a blade and a set of armor.  
"You should out these on, and give that sword a few swings too." He suggested as the Breton woman set me down gently on a chair. She handed me the armor and helped me get dressed into it as quick as she could.  
"Thank you Hadvar, but I prefer magic to steel." She mentioned as she picked me up again, I wondered how she could hold my weight as we walked forwards without a hitch. The steel haired girl walked next to us, wearing the imperial armor that I remembered making a few days ago. It was a nice fit on her.  
I shook my head as we came up to a room, the sounds of other people wafted through the empty stone halls as Hadvar put a finger to his lips.  
"Hear that? Stormcloaks, maybe we can reason with 'em." Hadvar whispered as I nodded, reaching for the sword on the Bretons other hip, she swatted my hand away as she glared at me.  
"Later."  
The gate opened as we walked out cautiously, Hadvar tried to reason with them, but that failed as the Stormcloaks drew their weapons and lunged at us. The Breton woman was faster though as she shot a pillar of fire at the nearest Stormcloak while the steel haired girl slashed at the other with her steel dagger.  
The battle was over within seconds as I stared at the Breton woman in awe, I had seen some magic in my time, but nothing like that. The flames were still burning as we made our way through the keep into a store room where two other Stormcloak soldiers were.  
This time Hadvar and the steel haired girl took care of them as the woman and I looked through barrels for potions.  
"Drink this." The woman ordered as she handed me a healing potion, I did as she told, knowing what she could do with fire, and placed the bottle to my lips, tilting it back and trying to ignore the foul taste in my mouth.  
"Can you walk? How do you feel?" She fretted over me as I stepped away from her.  
"I'm fine..." I muttered as the Breton handed me the sword.  
"Use it." She ordered as we left the store room. Hadvar commented on how we were nearing the torture room, the steel haired girl flinched slightly as we entered the room. It looked like she didn't want to be in this room as she quickly crossed to the other side. I followed her just to make sure she wouldn't find trouble as the adults talked.  
"My names Ashvind." I introduced myself, trying to make conversation as the girl looked away, digging through her satchel for a leather bound book.  
She pulled out a quill and quickly scrawled something on the paper, handing it to me as I read aloud.  
"Call me Kyn." I looked up at the Kyn as she took back her journal.  
"Kyn? Are you mute?" I whispered the question as the adults neared us.  
Kyn looked taken aback, offended, hurt, at the question as she nodded hesitantly. With the Breton woman and Hadvar back she turned on her heal and walked ahead with Hadvar as I walked by the Breton.  
We made it through the rest of the keep with no problem, Kyn proved herself with a bow by using a single arrow to take down a bear.  
When we made it outside I took a deep breath, the stale air of the cavern we had crawled through was almost suffocating me, but now that we were in the fresh open air, it felt amazing.  
I was about to walk down the hill when Hadvar pulled me back by the scruff of my armor behind a boulder nearby as a big black dragon passed over head.  
"Was that a-" I began to ask as the Kyn shook in fear, the Breton woman looked in the direction that the dragon had flown off too.  
"Yes. That was a dragon." She answered grimly as she helped Kyn to her feet.  
"Come on, we have to keep moving." Hadvar said as we trekked along a road.  
We stopped at three standing stones, in which the Breton woman looked at them in question.  
"What are these?" She asked as she investigated the ancient carvings on each of the stones"  
"Oh those? Those are three of the thirteen standing stones around skyrim. Feel free to choose one of them." Hadvar explained as the Breton woman stood before the Mage stone and traced her finger over the carving.  
The standing stone responded to her touch as it glowed a bright blue, a ball of light growing in the hole at the top as a light beam went up into the sky.  
Kyn had chosen the thief stone, I had her figured for a thief.  
"Aren't you going to chose one lad?" Hadvar asked as I looked at the standing stones.  
There was the thief, I wasn't great at sneaking nor did I find any honor in stealing.  
The Mage, I had no magical skill at all. Out of the question.  
The only one that was left was the Warrior stone, I was okay at a blade, but better than most the boys my age.  
"Had you figured for a warrior lad, every since I first saw you." Hadvar commented as we moved on "we're almost to Riverwood."  
I looked back towards Helgen, I hoped everyone had made it out safe as I turned back towards the other three.  
One question still nagged at me.  
Was that really a dragon?

**HEYA GUYS! So what did you think? Good, bad, ehh, needs work? Leave a review down below and I'll try and respond in the upcoming chapters! As always I'll see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey I'm back with another chapter for Dragavond! Anyways I don't own Skyrim, I only own my characters.  
Responding to reviews already.  
Y-OK: thank you for the review/question. yes I have read a book, several actually, perhaps around two-hundred. I know enough literature to write something, if that is what your implying.  
WesternZodiacX: thank you for your review, yes I am trying to add more detail into my writing and I do hope to see more continued support from you.  
Galarigirl129: thank you for the review! I will write more! Hope you like this chapter!  
So you guys! Thank you very much for the reviews so far and here's the next chapter!**

I really shouldn't had gone to Skyrim this week, should have waited till next week. I mentally sighed as I released the flame spell from my hand onto the fast approaching wolf. A low whine escaped the animal as it fell to the ground, my hand felt numb as I let it fall to my side.  
All I wanted to do was apply at the College of Winterhold, or apprentice under a court wizard or an alchemist. Not be stuck babysitting two... Children... To Whiterun, nor did i was to be almost executed for a crime I did not commit.  
Although the two aren't all that bad, once you get the boy to stop trying to be independent. At least the girl is silent, though its not because of her inability to speak. The way she moves, the way she reads your movements like an open book, its like a well practiced thief stalking their next unsuspecting victim. It's like she's hardly there.  
I mentally sighed again as the first glimpses of Whiterun appeared through the trees, it was about noon, the clouds dotted the great blue sky as wind tousled our clothing and hair.  
We had spent the night in Riverwood so that I could take a look at the boys burns, they weren't bad, mostly healed up by the time we had gotten to Riverwood just as the sun was going down setting the sky ablaze with dying light.  
Alvor had allowed us to stay in his basement for the night, even going as far to provide us with bedrolls, a true kind man.  
As soon as the man left to tend to his forge the boy began to ask personal questions. Such as who I was, where I was from, why I was in Skyrim... Did he ever shut up?  
I tried to ignore him as I checked the girl for any wounds, until he started getting annoying.  
"By the nines if I tell you will you shut up?" I snapped as the boy went silent, I didn't mean to sound that harsh, but it was already too late to take it back.  
"Names Artemis Evewind, lived in Highrock most my life, moved to Summerset isle three years ago. Stayed there for 'bout a year then came back, couldn't stand those elves, too stuck up for me. Came to Skyrim for the College." I explained carefully, trying to not too much of my life slip out. To my surprise the boy actually started asking me about my adventures, like he had ever stepped a foot outside of that poor towns walls.  
We talked for a while, learning a little about each other, though it was mainly me learning about the boy as the girl just sat on her bedroll and wrote in a book.  
"You got family boy?" I asked as I laid back in my bedroll, looking up at the ceiling. I could hear the boy shift onto his bedroll as he seemed to be thinking for a moment.  
"Not any that are alive." He said finally as the room went silent to the point where I could hear Alvor working his forge.  
"Sorry to hear that lad."  
"Don't be, never knew them anyways." He muttered as he rolled onto his side "you should get some rest, we have to go to Whiterun tomorrow." He sighed as I scoffed.  
"Since when did you decide to grow up." I muttered as I pulled the fur cover up over me, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me in its clutches.  
I awoke some time later, the house was silent save for the dying fire upstairs and the snores of all three, three, of the males in the house. I knew it was still nighttime as I sat up and observed my two companions next to me, sending up a small candlelight spell to see by.  
The girl couldn't have been older than eighteen winters at least, several scars crossed over her throat, old and pale now, as if they had been made years ago. Her steel colored hair, though dirty, shined dully in the spells light, falling just below her shoulder blades. It reminded me of some of the elder women back in Highrock.  
The boy could have been about twenty winters old, he was strong, I had seen him handle a sword and he was skilled at it somewhat. Most likely he was an apprentice of a blacksmith, going off the way he stared at Alvor's forge, the way his hands twitched when he got anywhere close to the smoldering forge. His caramel colored arms were strong and well built, probably from lifting a heavy hammer. He didn't seem to mind the burn on his arm, like he had gotten them before. The signs of a practiced smith.  
The girl shifted in her sleep as I brought my attention back to her, she was shaking, her face twisted as if she was in pain.  
I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and shook gently, she responded by snapping awake, sky blue eyes glazed in fear as she looked at me. She sat up and shook as I sat back silently.  
"Was it a bad dream?" I asked, concerned for the girl, she must have been traumatized from today's events. How often do you see a dragon slay an entire town?  
The girl nodded in response as I carefully stood and helped her up.  
"Come on, lets get some fresh air." I whispered the order as she nodded and walked carefully upstairs. Everyone was still asleep when we left the house into the cool night air of Skyrim.  
"Ah look at the sky lass, ain't it beautiful?" I had never seen a night sky like that before, the dark blue veil broken by bright stars and the aurora that hung above, the two moons providing light where the torches didn't meet.  
The temperature had dropped quickly so that it was cooler than before, the river roared past us as we stood on the stone bridge in silence, the torch bugs flitted around us as I watched the water underneath us.  
"Reminds me of home." I said gently as the girl leaned on the stone fence with me "I've been traveling most my life, I don't really know the meaning of the word home. Any idea that's like lass?" I turned to the girl as she shrugged and looked down at the water, tears pricking her eyes as she still slightly shook.  
"You know I was quite relieved, when that dragon attacked, I was spared of a crime I never committed. Spared to live another day, I guess you could say I owed my life to that dragon, but now that I think about it... It's silly right lass? To thank a god-like being for destroying a town?" I looked at my hands and sighed as they pulsed with magicka.  
Sitting up I gently put an arm around the girl.  
"Come on, lets go back to bed. Got a long day 'head of us, perhaps even longer days." I suggested as the girl nodded and walked with me back to Alvor's house and into the basement.  
I made sure she was asleep before heading to bed myself.  
And now we were here on the road to Whiterun, Ashvind had taken longer than I expected to wake up, being stubborn as I dragged him out into the town and dumped him into the river. He spouted some crass that was quickly drowned out by a mouthful of water.  
"Come on lad, time to go." I ordered quickly as I handed him his things once he was dried off.  
We had walked most of the day then, the air was much cooler now as we trudged along the roads and paths, the sun was high in the sky by the time we made it to the outskirts of Whiterun.  
Ashvind was about to open his mouth and say something as the ground shook beneath our feet, my eyes snapped to the nearby field and widened slightly as I met with a giant. Arrows stuck out of the giant as it swung its mangled great club like a mad man. Some one was hunting it.  
"Ashvind! Behind me!" I shouted quickly as I summoned up the magicka into my left hand as it became cold, wisps of ice and frost dissolving into the air as I released the ice spike spell into the giants knee.  
The lass had drawn her bow and quickly shot at the giant, missing his head by an inch, but enough that it drew his attention to us. Ashvind drew his sword and leapt forwards, narrowly missing the giants club as he swung his blade through the back of his knee.  
The giant lifted his head back and let out a gurgled moan as an arrow shot through its neck.  
I held my ground as the giant fell to the ground, the earth shaking around me as the lass clung to my tunic, I released the magicka in my hand as the spell broke, the ice spike still existed in the giants knee however as it began to melt red.  
Ashvind sheathed his blade as I stormed over to him, hand raised as if to slap him.  
"That was the most- you backwash mountain town-! If I wasn't so glad that your alive!" I said sternly as I tried keeping calm, the lass had put a hand on my shoulder as I stared at the giants body.  
"Some one was hunting this, we should wait for them." I ordered as Ashvind sighed in relief, cradling his burnt arm as I glanced at it "Is it bothering you lad?"  
Ashvind looked up at me and nodded "Only when I move it too quickly."  
I took a step towards him, a restoration spell already in my hands as I placed one on the arm.  
"It's healing quickly, just don't strain yourself too much. Stay away from the forge for a few days." I ordered as he looked at me dumbfounded.  
"H-how did you know?"  
"This a simple matter, the way you stared intently at Alvor's forge, the way you don't mind the burn. Signs of a true blacksmith." I explained quickly as three warriors came up to us.  
Two females and one male. I didn't trust them as I got a strange feeling from them.  
"That was some good fighting. You'd be great shield-brethren." One of the women, with fiery red hair, commented as I lowered my hands from Ashvind.  
"Thank you, unfortunately we must be leaving now. It was nice to meet you." I said quickly as I half dragged, half carried Ashvind towards Whiterun. I didn't trust those warriors, especially the one with the bow. They seemed like trouble and I didn't want to see Ashvind getting tangled up in them, nor did I want to see the lass get tangled like that either as I turned my head and called for her.  
"He-hey! Can't you take a compliment?" Ashvind snapped as he tore his arm from my grasp "They just wanted to make simple conversation!"  
I sighed as I slowed to a walk, not answering him as we neared the gate. The conversation was over with as a guard came up to us, preventing us from entering the city.  
"Official business only eh?" I thought as I opened my mouth to speak "Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid."  
The guard relaxed as he turned to the gate "So Riverwood is in danger too. Might as well let you in. The jarl can be found in Dragonsreach up the hill." The guard explained as he stepped aside, pulling the gate open as we did.  
I gave a nod of thank you to the guard as we passed him into Whiterun. Dragonsreach pierced the horizon as a cloud passed over the sun, Whiterun seemed like a busy place as I could hear the bustle of the market near by.  
We passed the forge quickly and came into the market place, bustling and teeming with the daily life of the citizens of Whiterun. I directed us up a small set of stairs into what looked like the inn, a sign hung off a pole in the ground.  
The bannered Mare.  
I closed the door behind us as I shot a warning sign to the lad before approaching the woman behind the bar.  
"Evening, like a room for me and my wards 'ere." I said as I dropped a coin purse on the wooden bar, the woman eyed me up and down as I motioned at the two younger nords behind me.  
"Alright, I'll have Saadia take you to your room." As if on cue, the said woman appeared from a door way and guided us upstairs to a room with a single double bed. I waited until the Redguard left the room before turning to the children after shutting the door.  
Something told me that it was going to be a long night.

**So what do you think? Good, bad, eh, needs work? As always reviews are much appreciated. I love to reviews I have gotten so far and hope to see more of them in the next chapter. Till then!**


	3. Authors Notice

**Hey readers, I have some good news and some bad news.**

**Good news is that new chapters are coming your way and will be up as soon as I can, also that I really appreciate the reviews I'm getting from you guys. **

**The bad news is that these new chapters will not be up till about August due to Camp Nanowrimo. This year I am doing both June and July so those months will be major writing month for me, so please bear with me while I am gone to improve my writing skill. **

**As of now the story will be at a stand still while I work hard. **

**But as I know some of you anticipate new chapters, I'm going to tell you this now. **

**If I finish early during the two months, I will try and get the chapters up. **

**So thank you for sticking with me through all this and I'll see you in August! **

**-Niar **


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